The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-05-13
HoNoRINc A MARTYR.
The Statue of James A. Garfield I'm
yelled at Washington.
A Graceful Tribute to the Deceased
Statesman by President cIeve-
land.
The History and Description of the
Monument.

The History and Description of the
Monument.
| WASHINGTON, May 12.-The statue of
General James A. Garfield, erected by the
Society of the Army of the Cumberland, was
unveiled in this city at one o'clock this after
| noon.
The society met at Grand Army Hall for a
short business meeting at 1870 o'clock this
morning. AT 11.3O the procession, which
was long and imposing, started from the hall
| for the square where the statue stands. 1t
was viewed by thousands of people. Gen.
eral Baird and his aids preceded in a car
| riage, in which were Generals Sherman,
| Sheridan and Rosencrans, three of the four
living commanders of the Army of the Cum
berand. General Buel was unable to be
present. Then followed the First and Sec
ond divisions of the G. A. R, The whole
division was under command of Major Good
loe of the Marine Corps.
The procession arrived at the monument
shortly after II O'Clock, and the exercises
were Immediately begun. Prayer was offered
by Rev. DR.. Geisly. The combined bands
then played "Hail to the Chief" "Star
Spangled Banner" and Hail Columbia"
General Sheridan in well chosen words ac-
cepted the statue from the monument COM
mittee, and turning to the President, ad-
dressed him briefly as follows:
Mr.. President,-This statue which has
been unveiled in your presence today was
erected by the comrades of General Garfield
belonging to the Army Of the Cumberland.
They recognized his merit as soldier, and
thew wished tn fpctimnnu IN that
merit and to his worth as a man. l have the
honor, sir, on behalf of the Society of the
Army of the Cumberland, to ask you as the
representative of the American people to
accept the statue at their hands as it was
given to me- (Applause.)
The President, who arose as General
Sheridan began speaking, then began his
address, accepting the statue as gift to the
nation.
President Cleveland, in formally accepting
the statue, said, after an eloquent eulogy Of
Garfield:
"This stately efigy shall not fail to teach
every beholder that the source of American
greatness is confined to no condition, nor de-
pendent alone for its growth and develop
ment on favorable surroundings. AS this
statue stands let it be proudly remembered
that to every American citizen the way is
open to fame and station until he, moving up
from high to higher, becomes on fortunes
crowning step the pillar of a peoples hope
the centre of worlds DESIRE"
The President then spoke of the sad lesson
which the statue teaches and referred in
touching terms to the last days of the Gen.
erals llfe He closed with a graceful tribute
to the dead Presidents character
During the delivery of his address the
President was interrupted by outbursts of ap-
plause, and spoke fiuently in clear voice,
which was audible to most of the vBst
crowd that filled the circle before the stand
When he had concluded the band played
"Hail, Columbia" and Rev. +. ID. Power
who was pastor of General Garfield's church
in this city, pronounced the benediction. The
troops were then dismissed and the cere-
monies came to an end.
The movement for the erection Of a monu-
ment to the memory of General Garfield had
its inception on the day Of his death. The
Society of the Army of the Cumberland, of
which General Garfield was bright and con-
spicuous member had met in annual reunion
at Chattanooga, Tenn. 1t was meeting of
special interest, as the ex-C0nfederates of
that region, in which the Army of the Cum
berland fought its battles and won its fame
had united in an invitation to the society to
hold its reunion in their midst. They wanted
to meet the men they had fought on so many
battlehelds in ssocial intercourse. General
Garfield heartily approved of this reunion of
soldiers OF both sides, and had promised to
be present; but he was stricken down by the
assassin's bullet, and the society, on the day
OF its assembling. received the news of his
death. The first suggestion of stone in
c0mmem0ration of General Garfield was con-
tanned in the following telegram from General
X. ID. MuSsey, to the society in session at
Chattanooga; washington members pro
pose memorial stone to General Garfield in
Washington Monument by our society,"" This
dispatch was dated September 81, 1881, and
the suggestion was promptly adopted by the
society. The tennessee members offered
block of Tennessee marble for the purpose
and finally the duty of having it prepared
and sent to Washington was committed to
Generals III. Wilder, Houk and Pettibone of
Tennessee. Colonel Casey, when consulted
about the matter, said that instead of block
of marble thin slab or tablet containing
the inscription wanted, had better be for
wardcd, and that he would have it set in the
monument, at the height it had reached when
General Garfield died.
At this session of the society, and immedi-
ately aft the reading of Gen. Mussey's de-
spatch in regard to the memorial stone,
Lieut.. John b. Ruhm of Nashville, submit
ted resolutions, which were adopted:
That committee of nine members be appoint
ed by the president of the society on or before
the A tn of January next and that the said COM
mittee be designated as the Garfield Monument
al Committee of the Army of the Cumberland"
2. That 1t shall be the duty of the committee
to report to the next meeting OF the society plan
for the erection OF monument to our late COM
rade, James A. Garfield, at such place as the So
eiety shall hereafter designate.
3. That the committee shall, as soon after its
appointment as practicable, organize by the ap-
pointment of president, secretary and treasurer,
and by the adoption of its laws and regulations.
A. That when duly organized, the said commit
tee shall be empowered to collect subscriptions
for the purposes of said monument, and that the
report, heretofore ordered, to the next meeting,
shall embrace a statement OF collections maze
and subscriptions obtained.
This was the beginning of the movement
for the Garfield monument. At the next
meeting of the society Washington was Sc
lected as the place for the location of the
statue, and from that time until a few weeks
ago. when the monument was completed.
the work progressed without delay.
The bronze statue is heroic in size, 10 feet
inches in height and stands on the pedestal
looking away from the Capitol down Mary
land avenue. 1t represents Garfield in
graceful unconventional attitude with his
top coat thrown back from his shoulder, his
right hand resting upon book supported by
his column, and his left holding before him
manuscript as if about to address the people.
The pedestal is about Is feet lin height and
well proportioned to the height of the bronze
figure. The granite shaft is adorned with
bronze ornaments and near the base are three
brackets upon which are placed three recum-
bent figures representing the Student, the
| Soldier, and the Statesman. These figures
and the statute itself are highly praised for
| their artistic worth. Above these figures
| are tablets in the form of a shield, on which
rests globe. for the student; a trumpet and
| sword, for the soldier, and laurel wreath,
enclosing the scales of justice, for the states
man. Looped bands of oak leaves, alternat-
| ed with acorns, in bronze encircle the shaft
| the three sides as follows
| Southwest face:
JAMES A. GARFIELD, 1S31-1ss1.
On the southeast face.
Major-General, U. S. ",
Member of Congress;
Senator and President of the United States of
America.
| IN ba